Trained for the future : Volkswagen and Toyota preparing the automotive industry in Ghana

Abstract

The West African country Ghana welcomes the first Toyota and Volkswagen assembly plants in Sub-Saharan Africa. This policy brief outlines the two major reasons: port infrastructure and a trained workforce. Concretely, a new port terminal in combination with 60 years of focused technical and management training in Japan have made it attractive for Toyota and Volkswagen to open vehicle assembly plants in Tema, Ghana. Recommendations include port infrastructure and on-the-job training.